People Making History: Lord Conrad Black on Leaders and Political and Strategic World History

In this episode, I have the great pleasure of speaking with biographer and historian Lord Conrad Black and author of “The Political and Strategic History of the World, Vol. I”, an ambitious and comprehensive project that will encompass a trilogy of books starting from the Old Testament and focusing on various influential people and leaders that have made history.

In the first volume, Conrad looks at how clans and tribes organized themselves in Mesopotamia, India, and China, and it ends with the death of the first Roman Emperor Augustus. He also looks at other notable and noteworthy historical figures that have left indelible marks in the annals of history, including Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar.

We also touch upon the founding fathers and the American Experiment and the strategic contributions of Benjamin Franklin as well as later important influences by Franklin Roosevelt, who is generally considered to be a polarized figure ranging from being a socialist to the “greatest friend capitalism ever had.”

Moreover, we agree that history is a fascinating subject and that it is not merely a repetitive cycle but that it in fact represents a line of progress, which is not straight but rather jagged in its shape and nature. Conrad also gives two "what-if" examples and scenarios of speculative history, the nightmare and the best outcome, in his view.

Finally, we talk about how the Americans faced the Communist threat during the Cold War period and how despite occasional overreactions, it was a bold and successful strategy to keep the Soviet Union at bay. At the same time, Nazis were not as unified as is often thought and believed but that they faced internal strife and opposition including the assassination attempt on their leader.